
"We will do our utmost to allow people in Thailand to fully enjoy sumo as traditional Japanese culture," Hakkaku, former yokozuna and grand champion Hokutoumi, told reporters after visiting the Thai foreign ministry
The Bangkok tournament will be held from June 11 to 13 next year. It will mark the third straight year of a sumo tournament being held outside Japan. The last two tournaments were held in London last year and in Paris this year.
The upcoming tournament will commemorate 140 years of Japan-Thailand friendship. "We hope the audience will watch powerful bouts between wrestlers on the sumo ring," Hakkaku said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]